The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Mini-Series)
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is a computer-animated 10 episode mini-series that aired on Cartoon Network. The show was the first TV Series/Mini-Series in the Nintendo Cinematic Universe (NCU). The show is in phase 1. Plot Three ancient Goddesses bestowed a great wish-granting power: the Triforce. The Demon King Demise sought the Triforce and laid waste to much of the land in his quest for it. The Goddess Hylia gathered the survivors and sent them into the sky, allowing her to launch a full-scale offensive against Demise. She was victorious, but the land was severely damaged. Uncounted years later, the outcrop is known as Skyloft, and its people believe the "Surface" below the clouds is a myth. In the present, knight-in-training Link passes his final exam despite the attempted interference of his class rival Groose, who considers himself a romantic rival for Link's childhood friend Zelda. After passing the exam and on a celebratory flight together, Zelda is whisked away below the clouds by a dark tornado. After recovering back on Skyloft, Link is led to the island's statue of Hylia by Fi, the spirit of the Goddess Sword residing within the statue. Production After the deal had struck, Nintendo, Mayfield, Warner Bros., and Warner Animation Group all collaborated to make the first film in the shared universe. Nintendo opened up a film division called "Nintendo Studios". The first film was Donkey Kong, and Skyward Sword was developed alongside. Even if Donkey Kong would become a failure, the studios still had to pump out the other films, and Skyward Sword. When Donkey Kong became a hit both critically and financially, the Skyward Sword Mini-Series was ready to present itself. To set up the world Skyward was set in, Nintendo released a 5-minute pilot episode that was shown before Donkey Kong. Episodes Pilot The pilot episode is just the setup of the environment and the main plot of the series. Season 1 #1 Skyview #2 Earth #3 Lanayru Mining Facility #4 The Ancient Cistern #5 The Sandship #6 The Fire Sanctuary #7 Sky Keep #8 The Waterfall Cave #9 A Hero is Rises #10 Link vs. The Demon King Marketing For the release of Donkey Kong, the pilot was shown before the film as a Pixar-like short-film. Burger King promoted the show with the release of a 6-toy-set, which consisted of Link, Zelda, Demon King, Impa, Hylia, and Fi. Because Donkey Kong was a hit, all the marketing material featured "from the creators of Donkey Kong" and featured the Cartoon Network logo prominently to show that this wasn't a feature film. Reception Critical Response The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword received generally positive reviews from critics, audiences, and Zelda fans. The show scored an 85% on Rotten Tomatoes, and 6.5/10 on IMDb, a 7/10 on TV.com, and a 64 on Metacritic. The show did not. Viewer Ratings The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword busted open an average rating of 8.31 million viewers per episode. Home Media The show in its entirety (including the pilot) was released on DVD & Blu-Ray by Cartoon Network and Warner Home Video.